ESRB: T for Teen
Genre: Interactive Crime Novel
Number of Players: One
Publisher: Tecmo Games
Release Date: March 30, 2010

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I love losing myself in a good book. Sometimes nothing is better than reading a finely spun story and putting yourself in the shoes of the lead character while snuggled up in your favourite spot on the couch and savoring a pot of tea. Playing an interactive novel game is a real treat for bookworms, as it combines intriguing storyline with various puzzle elements and exercises your brain putting your reasoning skills to work.

Again is the second interactive novel experience from Cing Inc, who also brought Hotel Dusk to the Nintendo DS. In this story, you slip into the shoes of FBI Agent Jonathan Weaver who is investigating a string of serial murders mirroring a similar chain of events as the Providence killings from 19 years earlier. Agent Weaver has special “visions” – flashbacks of the past – which have been bringing new evidence to light as you and your partner Kate Hathaway retrace and re-investigate the original crimes.

Hugo Watt is a journalist following the recent murders

Being an interactive novel adventure, Again is very reliant on the story-telling and dialogue. It is important that you exhaust all options in order to gain the most knowledge to help you in solving the case. Talking with one witness can unlock new text for another, which in turn might have you bothering the first witness once more. For the more interactive parts of dialogue, you will notice questions are presented in orange text and answers in white. For questioning people, select which lead you want to pursue until you have run through all of the available choices. Sometimes one set of questions will be replaced with a new one, depending on the answers received from the witness. When it comes to having Agent Weaver answer questions, you want to select the correct choice from the white text replies. If you choose the wrong answer it’s not a huge deal. After a brief comment from the person you are speaking with you can select another answer.

Looks like you might want to knock the lamp onto the floor

Once you have access to new crime scenes you will get to experience Past Visions and the Psyche Gauge. In these Past Visions, one screen of your DS turns into a past version of the room you are in. The touch screen side remains the current version of the room, and using this screen you will move about the room and compare the differences in each scene. You need to find the variances and make the present scene the same as your Past Vision. This usually entails looking for items that are out of place, searching the room for clues on opening hidden safes, maybe even just turning on a tap. The Psyche Gauge will drain if you Focus on an area or item that does not trigger a Past memory. Once you have drained the gauge, you’ll get a Game Over screen. You can Retry from this point, taking you back into the room. Just be sure to remember what you have failed to flash on so you can avoid draining too much from the meter.

Move around Clockford to talk to witnesses or visit crime scenes

There will be times when you will have to leave the crime scene without finding all of the segments needed to complete the Past Vision. Don’t be afraid to exit the area and head back out to visit witnesses in order to gain more knowledge or retrieve an item needed to recreate a memory. You will be able to return to the scene until you have uncovered all there is to know. I learned this the hard way while stuck on the second Providence murder, which stumped me for a good couple of hours. Also use some time away from the game to think about the clues or the room you are searching. Not only is it good to give your eyes a break, but stepping away can also make you see things differently when you go back. I recommend having a note pad near by so you can try to solve puzzles that aren’t as simple as others.

Not all icons are always available

The only complaint I have with Again is in the “acting”. On the non-touch screen side of the DS you get to see the person who is speaking, and the cast is made of of real actors which is great. However, their movements are a series of photos mashed together in stop motion animation. My guess is for the lead characters about 15-20 poses exist, and much fewer for the lesser cast. My biggest pet peeve of all is with a blind character’s portrayal in the game. Blind people do not walk around with their eyes closed. I really wish that someone would have caught that before the game came out and had it corrected.

As I sit here and write up this review, my DS is charging as I have drained the battery a couple of times already during my quest for the truth. I’ve been sleuthing in the car, at GameStop, eating dinner, and the story has not let me down. Just when I think I might have figured something out, a new twist is thrown at me. However, as I get closer to the end of the adventure, there are things I am almost 100% sure are for certain. But like any good crime novel, I know there will be (or should be) a giant “Holy Carps!” moment sprung on me soon.

Currently I am on Day 8 of the investigation and sitting at 12 real time hours of game play. By the time this review goes live, I hope to have solved the case, which puts my estimate for the actual run time of the game somewhere around 15 hours. That of course depends on just how big of a last hurrah the game throws at me. Fifteen hours is very comparable to the time you might put into reading the latest Patricia Cornwell, James Patterson or Janet Evanovich hardcover. Add in the fact that you’ll get a little more out of Again based on the fact you actually do the detective work, and the $30 it costs to pick up Again is well worth it.

Review product was provided by Tecmo Koei, and does not affect the outcome of this review.

Don’t know the story? Here’s a synopsis:

What would you do if a child you saved grew up to be a Monster? An ice-cold killer is on the loose, and Dr. Kenzo Tenma is the only one who can stop him! Tenma, a brilliant neurosurgeon with a promising future, risks his career to save the life of a critically wounded young boy named Johan. When the boy, now a coldhearted and charismatic young man, reappears nine years later in the midst of a string of unusual serial murders, Tenma must go on the run to uncover the story of Johan and stop the Monster he set loose upon the world. Conspiracies, serial murders, and secret government experiments set against the grim backdrop of the former East Germany are masterfully woven together in this compelling psychological drama.

The series has also been nominated for a 2009 Eisner Award, and  you can still catch it on SyFy‘s Ani-Monday block or a week later on the Chiller channel. Just to be safe though, check your TV listings rather than take my word for it.

If you’d like info on the anime series be sure to visit monster.viz.com, and don’t forget that there is also a manga series which you can check out at www.vizsignature.com/monster.

The 1st DVD box set of Naoki Urasawa’s “Monster” contains 3 DVDs (episodes 1-15), is rated “M” for Mature Audiences, and is expected to cost about $59.90 U.S. / $85.99 CAN. This edition will also include an exclusive digital booklet – which is a digital version of the original Japanese booklet.

I had no idea that SyFy has an anime Monday block. Starting tonight on the SyFy Ani-Monday block is the premier of Naoki Urasawa’s Monster.

The title is definitely one for Halloween month! It’s a psychological suspense thriller that will air each Monday night and then be re-broadcast on channel Chiller the week after.

Here is some information on Monster:

What would you do if a child you saved grew up to be a monster? An ice-cold killer is on the loose, and Dr. Kenzo Tenma is the only one who can stop him! Tenma, a brilliant neurosurgeon with a promising future, risks his career to save the life of a critically wounded young boy named Johan. When the boy, now a coldhearted and charismatic young man, reappears nine years later in the midst of a string of unusual serial murders, Tenma must go on the run from the police who suspect him to be the killer to find Johan and stop the monster he set loose upon the world. Conspiracies, serial murders, and secret government experiments set against the grim backdrop of the formerly communist Eastern Europe are masterfully woven together in this compelling work of suspense.

Also tonight is Street Fighter Motion Comic (series) and Voltron Motion Comic (series).